They created a new life after fleeing Idi Amin

Paying tribute to a family that has been making our community stronger for four decades

Guelph Mercury

I believe downtown Guelph is the heart and soul of our community.

Twenty-five years ago, my husband and I would walk from our Cambridge Street house every Saturday morning to grab breakfast downtown. These were our pre-kid days when, despite the heavy load of his master’s degree and my gruelling 100-hour weeks in medical school, we could linger for hours, laughing, arguing and planning our future.

When our first son was born, we took our Saturday morning outing to the Diana restaurant, which had an endless supply of common area space and high chairs for kids. At that time, it was owned by Nurudin and Muhamud Khamis.

Eventually, we would drag three kids under the age of six into the Diana. The Khamis made us feel like part of their family and of our thriving downtown community. They are part of the reason we never left.

The Khamis/Lalani families have a very interesting history. To tell it, you must know the history of two very different men: Idi Amin and Aga Khan IV.

Amin was the third president of Uganda. He was a ruthless dictator and a narcissist. His rule, from 1971 to 1979, was characterized by human rights abuses, political oppression, mass murders and gross economic mismanagement. It is estimated that more than 500,000 people were murdered by his regime. He ignored the needs of his people, used the public purse to enrich himself and caused the collapse of the economic, education and health care systems of Uganda.

On Aug. 4, 1972, Amin ordered the expulsion of his country’s Asian minorities, giving them 90 days to leave Uganda. Included in those expelled were Nizari Ismailis, some of whom had lived in Uganda for more than 100 years. They were successful business people, bankers, tailors, shop and restaurant owners, farmers and firm operators.

Ugandan soldiers during this period engaged in theft and physical and sexual violence against the Ismailis minority. After their expulsion, the businesses were handed over to Amin’s supporters.

Aga Khan IV is the spiritual leader to 15 million Ismaili Muslims. He has received 24 orders including the honorary companion of the Order of Canada. He has 19 honorary degrees including ones from the University of Toronto, the University of Ottawa and McMaster University.

He established the Aga Khan Development Network. It’s a group of development agencies that build schools and hospitals around the world with mandates that include the environment, disaster reduction, architecture, culture and microfinance. These agencies conduct their programs without regard to faith, origin or gender.

His network works toward the elimination of global poverty and the advancement of the status of women in Muslim countries. He has improved the lives of millions.

In 1988, he said: “‘There are those who enter the world in such poverty that they are deprived of both the means and the motivation to improve their circumstances. Unless these unfortunates can be touched with the spark which ignites the spirit of individual enterprise and determination, they will only sink back into renewed apathy, degradation and despair. It is for us, who are more fortunate, to provide that spark.”

Aga Khan encourages his followers to settle in the industrialized world and contribute to the progress of communities in the developing world, to improve the quality, and security of their daily lives and the people with whom they share their lives, to share their lives locally and internationally.

Now that’s a person to be admired.

Just after Amin’s order to expel Uganda’s ethnic minority, the Aga Khan called longtime friend, then prime minister Pierre Trudeau. The two had been roommates at Harvard University. Trudeau’s government agreed to open its doors to more than 6,000 displaced Ugandans who found themselves living their normal lives one minute and climbing aboard planes bound for Canada the next, leaving everything behind.

Among them were Sadrudin and Khatun Khamis with their four children, Nurudin, Muhamud, Shelina and Reshma. In Uganda, they owned two restaurants, one café, one apartment building and two residential homes. They lost everything they had spent their lives building. Each was allowed to take one suitcase and $25 per person. The family immediately started working upon its arrival in Canada. It believed in the generosity and goodness of Canadians and that in this country, it could rebuild. And rebuild, they did.

Their arrival marked a moment of enrichment for our community. Their local businesses have thrived and now employ almost 250 people. They are relentless supporters of both local and international charitable organizations, giving back a sizable percentage of their earnings to the Canadian Cancer Society, the CIBC Run for the Cure, Relay for Life, The Guelph Food Bank and the Guelph Drop In Centre. They have been remarkably supportive of my crazy efforts with Bracelet of Hope. And they are not unlike many of the proprietors that make their living in Guelph’s downtown core. Duncan-McPhee’s, The Bookshelf, Macquarie Private Wealth, to name a few, also give back to our community in many ways.

Last month, I was having lunch at the Diana — a weekly event for me. As I was leaving, I bumped into Sadrudin Khamis. He may be an older guy now (79), but he is still very handsome. His eyes sparkle like those of his children. It always amazes me how people can retain abundant energy after such hardship and loss. I admire his wisdom and resilience but most of all his generosity and kindness which he has bestowed upon his children.

As we spoke, I looked over his shoulder at a photograph hanging on the wall behind the bar. It has been there for years and I have always wondered who it was. After researching for this article, it suddenly dawned on me. It was the Aga Khan. Sadrudin nodded his head in agreement when I asked for confirmation and winked with great pride.

Thanks for giving back Mr. Khamis, and thanks for bringing us your wonderful family. It is an honour being a part of your community.